Dental Implants | Serving Richmond Hill & Surrounding Areas

Dental Implants

Everyone deserves a beautiful smile. With the tremendous advances in aesthetic dentistry, there’s no reason to put up with anything less. With Nobel Biocare implants and Procera® Crowns, a missing tooth can now be easily, comfortably, and beautifully replaced.

3-unit bridge – the traditional option

Historically, a bridge was used to replace a single missing tooth. Bridges are constructed of metal sub-frames with tooth-colored porcelain applied to approximate the natural color of your existing teeth.

Bridges use the tooth on either side of your missing tooth to provide support for the artificial tooth that fills in the space where your natural tooth is missing.
The goal of the bridge is to restore chewing function and achieve an acceptable aesthetic outcome.

Unfortunately, bone under the replacement tooth is no longer stimulated by chewing and is often resorbed into the body, creating a slowly growing gap between the replacement tooth and the gums

Key Attributes:

Slightly less expensive

Restores chewing function

Acceptable esthetics

Considerations:

Requires grinding down of healthy adjacent teeth

Potential for increased risk to the prepared teeth

Bone resorption causes a gap between your tooth and your gum over time

Limited life span

May contain metal; possible allergic reaction

Single tooth implant – The state-of-the-art solution

Dental implants often provide a more advanced replacement technology for a missing tooth than a traditional bridge. Dental implants eliminate the need for grinding down healthy teeth.
Dental implants are small metal screws designed specifically to replace your natural tooth root. Manufactured from titanium, dental implants provide a highly biocompatible surface, encouraging bone to attach to the implant during the healing process to ensure long-term results.

Dental implants create stimulation to the underlying bone, enhancing long-term esthetics.
Restoring your tooth with all-ceramic components (crown and abutment) can result in a beautiful, natural-looking, translucent tooth, just like the rest of your teeth.

Key Attributes:

Preserves your healthy teeth – no grinding requires on adjacent teeth

Bone integrity is preserved for long-lasting esthetics

Long-term solutions – often for life

Consideration:

Slightly higher cost that bridge

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are titanium tooth "roots" that are used to replace missing natural roots. Once in place, they become firmly attached to the bone. After they are affixed to the bone (this process is called "Osseointegration"), an artificial tooth is attached to the implant.

Who can benefit from dental implants?

Anyone with missing teeth. Dental implants can be used to replace single or multiple missing teeth. They are also of great help for people who wear dentures.

Have long have dental implants been a treatment option for missing teeth?

Dental scientists have been experimenting with methods of restoring missing teeth with "permanent artificial replacements" throughout history. Dental implants can be traced as far back as the ancient Egyptians. Modern dental implants and the appropriate techniques for their use were refined during the 1950’s and 60’s. An extensive period of clinical tests and improvements in implant design and delivery techniques started their general popularity in the 1980’s. During the past quarter century, designs continued to improve and an ever-increasing number of dentists began to train and learn their delivery techniques. As of today, the art and science of placing dental implants has becomes extremely popular. It is a routine restorative procedure in many dental offices and is in use all over the world.

Are there different types of dental implants?

Yes. Dental implants comes in variety of sizes and shapes and can have a surface of titanium or titanium that is coated with a substance that encourages the bone to attach it to the implant. The two main categories of dental implants are the full-sixed implants and miniature dental implants. The variety of sizes, shapes and configurations is necessary because of the wide range of anatomical differences that patients present. Such factors as amount of bone, bone quality, the shape and relationship of the upper and lower jaws and the amount of implants required to restore the mouse are some of the reasons for the different selection of implant systems.

How will I know which implant system to get?

Many implants designs exist. Each dental implant patient presents a unique set of clinical factors. These differences (e.g. bone configuration, bone quality, area where implant is to be placed, type of dental procedure that is to be done, etc.) often demand specially sized and configured implants, thus the need for a wide variety of sizes, shapes and implants design features. In some cases, dental implants are designed to be placed into the socket immediately after a tooth has been extracted. Your dentist will first create a treatment plan for your case. He will then choose the most favorable implant configuration that will best suit your particular needs.

A Guide to Mini-dental Implants

What are Mini-Implants?

Mini dental implants are ultra small diameter (1.8 millimeter width), biocompatible titanium alloy implant screws, conceived and developed over 50 years ago by Chercheve in Europe. Then Dr. Sendax created a unique design of this innovative dental product as a transitional device to help support fixed bridge replacements for missing teeth. His novel theory was that mini implants could function free standing by themselves or in combination with natural tooth supports and/or larger conventional type implants. This was a revolutionary concept in dental science.

Late in 1997, Dr. Sendax collaborated about his mini-implant theory and design concepts with a colleague, Dr. Ronald A. Bulard. Convicted they were on to something special, and recognizing the need for dental applications involving the new implants. Drs. Sandex and Bulard spent countless hours studying and refining the original creative design, resulting in a more efficient top and collar for the implants. Since then, different companies worked on the design and tried to improve the design which created the most advanced mini implant on the market today - the new MDL mini implant with the osseon surface.

Are Mini-implants FDA approved?

Yes. After research, clinical trials and exhaustive studies, a formal application was filed with the FDA in Washington, D.C. seeking permission to market the mini-dental implants devices to the general public. After providing satisfactory technical and clinical evidence to that federal agency that the product was safe for public use and in fact had beneficial attributes, the FDA granted its formal consent to market the mini-implant device not only as a traditional or temporary dental product, but significantly, as a long-term device. No other mini dental implant product currently on the market can make this claim.

When Can They Be Used?

When critically needed for support purposes, and where solid bony adaption (integration) has clearly occurred, mini implants can function as long-term supporting structures rather than as short-term or medium term devices. Further, they are particularly effective in crown and bridge applications, as well as single-tooth replacement.

What’s the Primary and Most Effective Use for Them?

The most effective use of this unique dental product is stabilization of a mandibular denture. There are approximately 30,000,000 people in the United States who are "edentulous" (lacking teeth) who struggle daily with prosthetic devices. A majority suffers a great deal of discomfort as a result of loose or ill-fitting dentures. Also, denture wearers simply withdraw from any type of social engagement as a result of being compelled to wear them.
Moreover, it’s not uncommon for family members to complain about a denture wearer’s disagreeable breath as a result of food being trapped and decaying under their denture prosthesis. Successful placement of the MDL addresses and solves all of these social and practical problems and concerns.

How do Miniature Dental Implants work with the denture wearers?

Miniature dental implants are placed easily and simply into the jaw bone. Their small size affords a number of advantages: Minimum trauma to the implant site, no need for surgical preparation, and immediate stability upon completion of placement. The top of the mini implants consists of a "ball" head which projects above the gum. Anywhere from two or more implants are placed, depending upon the dentist’s analysis of the care. Once placed, either a new denture has been already fabricated or the patient’s old denture may be used. Female retention caps are inserted into the inside of the denture and positioned to snap over the "ball" head of the implant. This greatly enhances retention, reduces denture movement and facilitates eating and speaking. Thousands of grateful patients are all over the world have been blessed with the effective, easily placed, economical dental system.